The United States Navy Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator ( UCAS-D ) program consists of
77-569: The UCAS-D program is to demonstrate the feasibility of operating an unmanned vehicle on an aircraft carrier. Technology and operational procedures gained from the program and X-47B demonstrator will be used to develop an operational unmanned carrier aircraft through the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. This aviation -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This United States military article
154-494: A Herndon mailing address ), works on "the entire life cycle of civil and defense platforms and capabilities through a range of services". Vinnell , a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, provides training and communications for the military. In 2003, it landed a $ 48 million contract to train the Iraqi Army . In 2005, the company won a $ 2 billion contract with Virginia to overhaul most of the state's IT operations. Later that year,
231-536: A 6,000 lb of weapons, were reduced for a total payload of 1,360 kg (3,000 lb) and only 454 kg (1,001 lb) of weapons. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) modified requirements during an 18 December 2012 meeting and did not consider them to be "relaxed," but rather changed to consider "within the broader unmanned aircraft portfolio and included an assessment of the platform's performance, capability, survivability, and basing," shifting to increase some performance areas and decrease others to get
308-533: A UCAS that was modestly stealthy and emphasised intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions over lightly contested airspace, with a light secondary strike mission and no air refueling requirement, promoting affordability over survivability and endurance; the revised requirements were written to fill a gap in persistent, sea-based ISR. Stealth requirements were sharply reduced to lower costs, and original payload requirements calling for weapons bays to carry as many as 24 GBU-39 SDB 250 lb bombs, totaling
385-454: A common picture of the battle space to multiple air platforms through data-links , where any aircraft could fire on a target in their range that is being tracked by any sensor, so the forward deployed UCLASS would have its missiles targeted by another controller. With manned-unmanned teaming for air combat, a dedicated unmanned supersonic fighter may not be developed, as the greater cost of high-thrust propulsion and an airframe of similar size to
462-658: A future version of the aircraft. The Pentagon chose this in order to address the Navy's expected fighter shortfall by directing funds to buy additional Super Hornets and accelerate purchases and development of the F-35C, quickly getting naval stealth fighters into service, and extending their range to penetrate hostile airspace. It will likely be a less-stealthy wing–body–tail configuration that will limit its ability to operate in contested airspace, be more sensitive to cost considerations, and favor Boeing and General Atomics submissions. Having
539-401: A joint venture, which grew "from $ 100 million in revenue in 2000 to approximately $ 500 million in fiscal year 2007." In 2000, NG acquired Federal Data Corporation, Navia Aviation As, Comptek Research, Inc., and Sterling Software, Inc. In 2001, the company acquired Litton Industries , a shipbuilder and defense electronics systems provider for the U.S. Navy . During the acquisition process,
616-456: A manned fighter would deliver a platform with comparable operating costs and still without an ability to engage on its own. NAVAIR planned to release the draft RFP by the end of March 2014. The Navy was optimizing the UCLASS for ISR and limited strike rather than long-range strike, along with a potential tanker role. On 18 February 2014, Congressman Randy Forbes wrote a letter to Secretary of
693-528: A mix. JROC was reported to have changed the requirements in order to produce a replacement for the current drones used for Disposition Matrix missions that would not require host nation basing or permission, changing focus from a UAV capable of striking defended targets to keep costs down and maintain unmanned counterterrorism missions as a U.S. military option. Flying missions from sea-based carriers would have fewer restrictions than operating inside foreign countries, and irregular warfare missions will continue in
770-570: A more capable UCLASS because the specifications would be significantly different from aircraft they developed for the PDR phase, and cost per aircraft would also increase from $ 35-$ 50 million to $ 100 million. Top-level UCLASS requirements of providing 24-hour persistent ISR coverage from the carrier at “tactically significant” ranges with limited strike capabilities at mid-to-long ranges remained fixed since spring 2013, though detailed specifications had been refined. Cost constraints drove Navy requirements for
847-519: A new Delaware holding company, NNG, Inc. , was formed, which merged with Northrop Grumman through a one-for-one common shares exchange in April 2001. Both Northrop Grumman and Litton became subsidiaries of the new holding company. The original Northrop Grumman Corporation then changed its name to "Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation"; the holding company, NNG, Inc., changed its name to "Northrop Grumman Corporation". Later that year, Newport News Shipbuilding
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#1732790432899924-571: A third time. In 2006, it was envisioned to extend the inland reach of carriers beyond manned aircraft. In 2011, that was altered to a cheaper design that would act as a carrier ISR asset without the rest of the air wing that could also be used to hunt down terrorists. The third concept was an unmanned vehicle that would operate almost exclusively over the ocean, with initial missions including permissive airspace ISR and strike, then expanding to contested littoral and coastal ISR and strike and attacking enemy surface ships. It has been speculated that one of
1001-454: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This robotics-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike The Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike ( UCLASS ) was a United States Navy program to develop an autonomous carrier-based unmanned combat aerial vehicle providing an unmanned intelligence and strike asset to
1078-787: Is forecasted to enter test flights as early as late 2023, with the United States Air Force forecasted to acquire operational aircraft as early as 2030. It was reported in October 2023 that taxi tests for the B-21 Raider were underway. In May 2024, Northrop Grumman unveiled the Manta Ray, an underwater drone developed for the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA). The drone, which resembles its namesake sea creature,
1155-1056: The B-1 Lancer . Mission Systems produces and maintains the AWACS aerial surveillance systems for the U.S., the United Kingdom , NATO, Japan, and others. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the development and integration of the Air Force's $ 2-billion Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program . Northrop Grumman also supports the U.S. ballistic missile program, integrates various command, control and intelligence systems, and provides technical and management services, to governmental and military customers, all with an emphasis on cybersecurity. Many other smaller products are made by Northrop Grumman, such as night vision goggles and secure communications equipment. The Defense Systems sector, headquartered in McLean, Virginia (with
1232-540: The Cygnus spacecraft. Until 2020 the firm was developing the OmegA space launch vehicle, intended to carry the U.S. government's national security satellites into space. With Northrop Grumman's reorganization of its divisions effective January 1, 2020, NGIS was split, with most of the sector merging with other Northrop Grumman businesses into a new Space Systems sector. On August 8, 2022, Northrop Grumman announced it
1309-1133: The EA-6B Prowler . Northrop Grumman provides major components and assemblies for different aircraft, such as the F/A-18 Hornet , the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet , the EA-18G Growler , and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II . Aerospace systems also serves as the contractor for numerous space payloads and is the prime contractor for the James Webb Space Telescope . Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, headquartered in Linthicum, Maryland , creates military radar, sensors, and related products, including C4I radar systems for air defense , Airspace Management radar systems such as AMASS , and battlefield surveillance systems like
1386-723: The Northrop Corporation was reincorporated in Delaware in 1985. Northrop made a series of light-weight fighter aircraft such as the F-5 , YF-17 , and F-20. However, Northrop was best known for it experimental flying wing aircraft, the XB-35 and YB-49 of the late 1940s and early 1950s. These flying wing aircraft, while unsuccessful, would pave the way for the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, on which Northrop
1463-656: The RQ-4 Global Hawk , and the T-38 Talon supersonic trainer are used by the US Air Force . The US Army uses Northrop Grumman's RQ-5 Hunter unmanned air vehicle, which has been in operational use since 1995. The U.S. Navy uses Northrop Grumman-built aerial vehicles such as the BQM-74 Chukar , RQ-4 Global Hawk-based MQ-4C Triton , MQ-8 Fire Scout , Grumman C-2 Greyhound , Grumman E-2 Hawkeye , and
1540-496: The United Kingdom paid $ 1.2 billion in a contract with the company to provide maintenance of its AWACS radar. On June 7, 2018, the acquisition of Orbital ATK was completed, and the former company was absorbed in Northrop Grumman as a new business sector called Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. With this acquisition, Northrop Grumman got more involved in the space industry, including the construction and launch of
1617-607: The 2022 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. Northrop Grumman and its industry partners have won the Collier Trophy nine times, most recently for the development and production of the James Webb Space Telescope , an orbiting observatory launched in 2021. Northrop Grumman leads the development of the B-21 Raider , a long-range, stealth strategic bomber that can drop conventional and nuclear weapons ; it will replace Northrop's own B-2 Spirit ,
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#17327904328991694-1256: The Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL). Tactical aircraft sensors include the AN/APG-68 radar, the AN/APG-80 AESA radar, and the AN/APG-83 AESA radar upgrade for the F-16 Fighting Falcon , the AN/APG-77 AESA radar for the F-22 Raptor , and the AN/APG-81 AESA radar for the F-35 Lightning II, and the AN/AAQ-37 electro-optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for the F-35, and the APQ-164 Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA) radar for
1771-775: The Antares rocket, which will be known as the Antares 330 . Northrop will provide the A330s upper stage, avionics, software and launch site operations. Firefly will supply seven engines and build the A330s largest structure, the first stage booster. Northrop and Firefly will also jointly develop the MLV. Remotec, a Tennessee-based subsidiary, is a manufacturer of remote control vehicles for explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous material handling. A UK-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, provides VHF and UHF ground-to-air communications systems for
1848-493: The CBARS as the first carrier-based UAV provides a less complex bridge to the future F/A-XX, should it be an autonomous strike platform. It also addresses the carriers' need for an organic refueling aircraft, proposed as a mission for the UCLASS since 2014, freeing up the 20–30 percent of Super Hornets performing the mission in a more capable and cost effective manner than modifying the F-35, V-22 Osprey , and E-2D Hawkeye, or bringing
1925-700: The Colombian jungle. The fourth employee, Tom Janis, had been killed by the FARC shortly after the crash in 2003. In January 2008, Northrop Grumman combined its Newport News and Ship Systems sectors into a new business unit named Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. On March 31, 2011, this was spun off as Huntington Ingalls Industries , Inc. ( NYSE : HII ). In November 2010, NASA selected Northrop Grumman for consideration of potential contract awards for heavy lift launch vehicle system concepts, and propulsion technologies. From 2013, Northrop Grumman participates in
2002-603: The DARPA Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN) program, and received $ 2.9 million for Phase 1 and $ 19 million for Phase 2. The TERN program attempts to launch and recover a UAV from mid-size ships to provide long distance intelligence gathering. In July 2013, Northrop Grumman won a training-simulation contract potentially worth $ 490 million to support the U.S. Air Force 's next-generation aerial warfare virtual-training network. As of 2018, Northrop Grumman became
2079-689: The Department of Defense and Department of Justice. That same year, it acquired Inter-National Research Institute Inc. In 1999, the company acquired Teledyne Ryan , developer of surveillance systems and unmanned aircraft, California Microwave, Inc., and the Data Procurement Corporation. On March 19, 1999, Northrop Grumman revised its fourth-quarter results to a net loss because of problems related to its dealings with start-up satellite launch company Kistler Aerospace Corp. In 1999, Northrop Grumman and SAIC created AMSEC LLC as
2156-850: The Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) in New York, as part of the U.S. Army's Standard Integrated Command Post System program. Northrop Grumman can trace its lineage back to the beginning of the 20th century when the Grumman Corporation was founded on Long Island , New York. Here, Leroy R. Grumman established the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in December 1929. By 1939, the company has expanded and relocated to Bethpage, New York. During World War II
2233-564: The Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI). From 1990 to 2003, before the merger with Grumman in 1994, Kent Kresa was the CEO of the company, who led the serial-acquisition strategy with a total of 15 additional acquisitions from 1994 to 2003, including Litton , Logicon , Westinghouse 's defense electronics business, Ryan Aeronautical and Newport News Shipbuilding , and TRW. He then retired in 2003 at age 65. In 2003 Ronald Sugar ,
2310-519: The Navy Ray Mabus advocating for the UCLASS to have aerial refueling, survivability, and payloads to make it effective in future contested air environments. Forbes requested the aircraft have broad-band stealth to survive integrated air defense systems and have the payload capacity to simultaneously support land and sea missions. Aerial refueling was also cited as a needed capability for responding to far-off threats and conducting missions outside
2387-672: The Navy issued Request for Information (RFI) N00019-UCLASS-RFI-A for planning purposes, as part of a market survey led by the Navy Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons [PEO (U&W)]. On June 9, 2011, the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) issued JROCM 087–11, a memorandum approving the UCLASS Initial Capabilities Document (ICD). That document stated UCLASS
Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator program - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-461: The Navy planned to weaponize the UCLASS incrementally, stealth and payload are things that must be built into an airframe and cannot be engineered in at a later time. With the requirements again being reviewed, the planned release of the RFP in late July was suspended until the creation of a new joint Capabilities Development Document (CDD). By mid-2014, the Navy had shifted the concept of the UCLASS for
2541-424: The Navy took another look at the draft requirements for the UCLASS. They were scheduled to be released in October 2013 but were delayed. The main reason behind the internal strife was indecision over the future of the aircraft carrier fleet and their air wings, between better UAV-based ISR coverage integrated on board carriers in the near-future and integrating a new unmanned aircraft into the carrier air wing to make
2618-721: The Navy’s next generation carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle was born of fiscal realities, said Dyke Weatherington, the Pentagon’s director of unmanned warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).” The Navy announced 14 August 2013 that four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts were awarded for the UCLASS air vehicle segment. The four $ 15 million firm-fixed price contracts were awarded to Boeing Co., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. The period of performance for
2695-601: The RFP was again delayed as a result of the ongoing review of what roles the aircraft will perform. On 1 February 2016, after many delays over whether the UCLASS would specialize in strike or ISR roles, it was reported that a significant portion of the UCLASS effort would be directed to produce a Super Hornet–sized carrier-based aerial tanker as the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS), with "a little ISR" and some capabilities to relay communications, with strike capabilities deferred to
2772-418: The UCLASS. One requirement that had remained constant was for the aircraft to conduct ISR orbits at tactically significant ranges for $ 150 million, meaning two air vehicles costing $ 75 million each can cover one orbit if they have an endurance of 14 hours. The U.S. Navy released the long-delayed RFP for the UCLASS on 17 April 2014, after Navy Secretary Ray Mabus signed the draft the previous day. The draft RFP
2849-489: The USN released draft requests for proposal (RFPs) to the four competitors. The RFPs were individualized for each company, so the exact specifications were publicly unknown. The RFPs were originally supposed to be issued in late 2012, but were delayed several times. The RFP was to mature the four designs up to a preliminary design review (PDR) over nine months and assess technical readiness. The draft RFP for technology development
2926-523: The X-47B, and be around 68 ft (21 m) in length, longer than the F/A-18 Super Hornet, with endurance potentially up to 14 hours. Other roles were being considered such as an aerial refueling platform to extend the range of fighters, transferring 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) of fuel and still staying airborne for up to 7.5 hours. The four industry teams pushed back against the idea of
3003-563: The acquisition was approved by Orbital ATK stockholders and on June 6, 2018, the merger closed after final FTC approval. The acquired company assets and naming were absorbed and become a division named Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. In June 2020, NASA granted a $ 935 million contract to Northrop Grumman for the Lunar Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, based on its Cygnus cargo spacecraft. In July 2022, Northrop subcontracted Solstar to provide
3080-588: The break in Antares manufacturing caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But in addition to salvaging the Antares rocket series, the cost-sharing deal also helps ensure NASA's cargo missions to the International Space Station keep flying regularly and brings muscle to Firefly's plan to build a larger rocket called Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV). Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace will jointly produce an upgraded version of
3157-484: The carrier a more effective strike platform. By December 2013, the UCLASS concept aircraft had shifted around significantly. Original requirements that were for a relatively simple ISR platform, were changed to a "heavy-end" ISR and strike aircraft with growth for weapons and sensors. It was planned to weigh 70,000 to 80,000 lb (32,000 to 36,000 kg), about the size of the F-14 Tomcat and much larger than
Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator program - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-484: The civil and defense markets. Northrop Grumman has also worked closely with Antenna Associates, Inc., a manufacturer of Identification friend or foe (IFF)/ Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) antennas located in Massachusetts. In August 2007, Northrop Grumman acquired Scaled Composites in which it had previously owned a 40% stake. In 2008, Northrop Grumman began working with DHS Systems LLC, manufacturer of
3311-533: The company built most US Navy aircraft. After the war it branched out into making the first aluminum canoes using left-over materials no longer needed for aircraft. Later the firm created a myriad of products such as ballistic missiles , all-weather radars, the Apollo Lunar Module , land and sea-based fighter aircraft and Stealth bombers . Founded in California in 1939 by Jack Northrop ,
3388-519: The competition to new entrants. An RFP for the air vehicle was issued in late 2016; Boeing was awarded the CBARS contract in August 2018. Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense company. With 95,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $ 30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. The firm ranked No. 101 on
3465-491: The confined space of an aircraft carrier; the UCLASS had to maintain two 600 nmi (1,100 km; 690 mi) orbits around the ship, or one orbit at a range of 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi), with the ability to attack lightly-defended targets out to 2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi). After pressure from Congress, industry, and the Government Accountability Office ,
3542-403: The contract went to rival Lockheed Martin on August 31, 2006. In 2006, Northrop Grumman had intended to bid for the U.S. Air Force's Next-Generation Bomber . Though it has not built a large manned aircraft since wrapping up B-2 Spirit production in the 1990s, the company has "been working hard to turn that perception around, with the skills and capabilities that back it up." However, by 2009,
3619-417: The contracting efforts was approximately nine months. UCLASS program manager, Charlie Nava, said: "The PDRs are intended to inform the navy of the technical risk, cost and design maturity of the air segment (AS), and allows the industry teams to better understand the program’s requirements across the entire UCLASS system, to expeditiously deliver the unmanned carrier-based system to the fleet." In early 2014,
3696-470: The envelope of long-range threats, particularly the Chinese DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile . Navy officials expressed concern that the original requirements of the UCLASS program had been degraded, as the original concept called for a stealthy, carrier-based, long-range unmanned combat aerial system (UCAS) with a large payload that could be refueled in-flight, but the altered version called for
3773-555: The fleet. After debate over whether the UCLASS should primarily focus on stealthy bombing or scouting, the Pentagon instead changed the program entirely into the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) to create a UAV for aerial refueling duties to extend the range of manned fighters, which led to the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray . The UCLASS program had several competing designs and design bases: On 19 March 2010
3850-437: The future to warrant further attention. Congress and industry both agreed that the Navy had deviated significantly from the normal process for developing a new aircraft. For nearly three years, companies developed their candidates with company funds based on assumptions about the Navy's requirements without any guidance from the service. The Navy did not issue any aircraft performance specifications or draft requirements until
3927-543: The group into its Peraton subsidiary. The sale closed in February 2021. The Mars Ascent Propulsion System for Mars sample-return mission Ascent Vehicle contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman on March 5, 2021. For this Northrop Grumman to make a 3–meter long, two-stage , solid-fueled Mars ascent rocket for the Mars Sample Return mission. This mission is to collect Perseverance's samples for return to Earth. In August 2022, Northrop Grumman announced it
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#17327904328994004-507: The historic Space Park , produces aircraft, spacecraft, high-energy laser systems and microelectronics for the U.S. and other nations. This includes surveillance and reconnaissance, protected communications, intelligence, battle management, strike operations, electronic warfare, to missile defense, Earth observation, space science and space exploration. The B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, the E-8C Joint STARS surveillance aircraft ,
4081-472: The new company acquired substantially all of the defense and electronics systems business of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghouse Electronic Systems , a major manufacturer of radar systems, for $ 2.9 billion, and Xetron Corporation . In 1997, the defense computer contractor Logicon was added, which had acquired Geodynamics Corporation in March 1996 and Syscon Corporation in February 1995. Northrop
4158-623: The possibility of using the UCLASS in air-to-air engagements as a "flying missile magazine" to supplement the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35C Lightning II as a type of "robotic wingman." Its weapons bay could be filled with AIM-120 AMRAAMs and be remotely operated by an E-2D Hawkeye or F-35C flight leader, using their own sensors and human judgment to detect, track, and direct the UAV to engage an enemy aircraft. The Navy's Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) concept gives
4235-686: The primary contractor for the James Webb Space Telescope . In October 2015, the US Military announced it had awarded Northrop Grumman the contract for the successor to the B-1 and B-52 , subsequently identified as the B-21 . The initial value is $ 21.4 billion, and could eventually be worth up to $ 80 billion. In September 2017, Northrop announced its intention to acquire missile and rocket manufacturer Orbital ATK Inc for $ 9.2 billion: $ 7.8 billion in cash plus $ 1.4 billion in net debt. On November 29, 2017,
4312-557: The reasons for making the UCLASS more ISR-centric was to prevent it from taking the role of the F/A-XX , the manned future fighter replacement for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F/A-XX is envisioned as a manned multi-role fighter, and the Navy cannot simultaneously develop the F-35C, UCLASS, and F/A-XX all as expensive strike assets. On 18 December 2014, the Navy released a directive saying the UCLASS would be embedded in
4389-450: The retired S-3 Viking back into service. Although initially designated the RAQ-25, the name was changed to the MQ-25 Stingray. Stealth requirements will be "descoped" and it may still be capable of firing missiles or dropping bombs from drop tank pylons, but surveillance and destroying targets will not be its main missions. Reducing the low-observable requirement is expected to make things easier for existing UCLASS competitors, and to open
4466-432: The same air wing that operates E-2C/D Hawkeye command and control aircraft, meaning a detachment of the E-2 wing, the commander of the E-2 unit on board the carrier, would have control over the unmanned platform during air operations and it would not act as a standalone unit or be operated under an F-35C wing. In the Navy's FY 2016 budget request, the planned fielding date of the UCLASS was pushed from 2020 to 2022–2023, and
4543-416: The spring of 2013, so competitors tried to refit their aircraft for the preliminary design review phase. The lack of feedback was compounded by the shift of mission statements, from a long-range penetrating strike platform to long-duration orbits over permissive airspace. Endurance requirements of over 12 hours were especially hard to meet, as there are limitations of an aircraft's wingspan for holding fuel on
4620-433: The tanker program and in March 2010, Northrop Grumman announced it was withdrawing from the competition, deeming the revised requirements to be weighted in favor of the Boeing KC-46 . On January 1, 2006, Northrop Grumman opened its business sector called 'Technical Services'. Northrop Grumman and Boeing collaborated on a design concept for NASA 's upcoming Orion spacecraft (previously the Crew Exploration Vehicle), but
4697-890: The teams working on that project were dispersed, as USAF's focus turned to a long-range strike instead. Northrop Grumman was one of two teams competing for the Long Range Strike Bomber , and in October 2015 won the contract for the Long Range Strike Bomber. On July 20, 2007, Northrop Grumman became the sole owner of Burt Rutan 's Scaled Composites . In 2007, Northrop Grumman created 'National Workforce Centers' as an alternative to offshoring . Locations are Auburn , Alabama; Corsicana , Texas; Fairmont , West Virginia; Helena , Montana; Johnstown , Pennsylvania; and Lebanon, Virginia . The Rapid City, South Dakota location closed in January 2012. In July 2008, three of four Northrop Grumman employees ( Thomas Howes , Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell ) were freed during Operation Jaque after five years of captivity following their aircraft crash in
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#17327904328994774-438: The wings to enhance the propulsion provided by its gliding system, which glides forward while moving up and down in the water column by changing its buoyancy. With an emphasis on minimal human oversight, the creation of the Manta Ray represents a significant advancement in unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) technology. In September 2024, Northrop Grumman won the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) competition to develop and build
4851-557: The wireless-enabling technology to enable a Wi-Fi access for employees and equipment in the module. In September 2020, Northrop Grumman won a $ 298 million sole-source contract for the Evolved Strategic Satcom program, an anti-jam communications satellite program intended to replace the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite program where Northrop Grumman was a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin . In December 2020, Northrop sold its federal IT and mission support business to Veritas Capital for $ 3.4 billion in cash. Veritas placed
4928-531: The world's only known stealth bomber. Among its other projects are the production of the solid rocket boosters for NASA's Space Launch System program. It was the sole bidder on the Air Force's Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program , which aims to develop and build a new intercontinental ballistic missile . As of the end of 2022, Northrop Grumman organized its business around four main sectors, each of which comprises two or more business areas: Aeronautics Systems, headquartered in Redondo Beach, California , at
5005-416: The world. In 1994, Northrop Aircraft bought Grumman Aerospace , which built the Apollo Lunar Module to create Northrop Grumman (NG) at a cost of $ 2.1 billion. The company purchased the remaining 51% interest in Vought Aircraft Company (Vought) in August 1994 for $ 130 million taking full control of the company after it had purchased an initial 49% interest in September 1992 for $ 45 million. In 1996,
5082-543: Was added. On November 1, 2001, Northrop Grumman restated its third-quarter profit after halting work on two ships for American Classic Voyages , which filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired TRW Inc. , which had acquired Braddock Dunn & McDonald (BDM) in 1997, and became the Space Technology sector based in Redondo Beach , California, and the Mission Systems sector based in Reston, Virginia , with sole interest in their space systems and laser systems manufacturing. The Aeronautical division
5159-435: Was delayed from August to September 2013. There was continuing debate over requirements and stealth, with General Atomics and Boeing expected to de-emphasize stealth in favor of endurance and payload, and Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin pitching tailless high-survivability designs. On 14 August 2013, the Navy awarded four development contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman. Each contract
5236-458: Was designed to carry out long-duration, long-range military missions, including extended loitering on the sea bottom. The development of the Manta Ray posed several technical challenges, including overcoming the corrosive nature of seawater, preventing sea life from interfering with moving components, and operating under conditions where electromagnetic radiation, including sunlight, does not propagate well. The craft uses two four-bladed propellers on
5313-446: Was moving production of the engines and structures for its Antares rockets to the U.S. from Russia and Ukraine. The move of Antares production fully to the U.S. will happen through a partnership with Texas-based Firefly Aerospace . Northrop Grumman had purchased Russian RD-181 engines to power the Antares 230+ series, and the rocket’s main body was manufactured by Ukraine’s Yuzhmash State Enterprise . Northrop Grumman's B-21 Raider
5390-447: Was moving production of the engines and structures for its Antares rockets to the U.S. from Russia and Ukraine. The move of Antares production fully to the U.S. will happen through a partnership with Texas-based Firefly Aerospace . Northrop Grumman had purchased Russian RD-181 engines to power the Antares 230+ series, and the rocket's main body was manufactured by Ukraine's Yuzhmash State Enterprise . The new arrangement mainly resolves
5467-517: Was planned to be released in mid-2013, but was repeatedly delayed by disagreements over the proposed aircraft's stealth levels, ability to survive in contested airspace, and in-flight refueling ability. Though classified, available details showed original UCLASS specifications of continuously providing two ISR orbits at range over uncontested airspace with a light strike capability to eliminate targets of opportunity. The airframe would also have an open architecture design to be easily upgradable. The Navy
5544-508: Was pursuing a path to at first use the UCLASS as a reconnaissance asset with proven standoff sensor technologies to observe targets in uncontested international airspace, while building in excess weight, space, and power capacity to add sensors and weapons and modify it later for use in contested airspace if needed. In July 2014, JROC launched a review of the UCLASS program in response to congressional criticism that Navy requirements were too narrowly focused to meet future mission threats. Although
5621-681: Was sold to Goodrich , and the automotive divisions were spun off and retained the TRW name. There were 15 acquisitions from 1994 to 2003. Northrop Grumman partnered with EADS from the mid-2000s to offer the KC-30 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft in the U.S. Air Force's KC-X tanker competition. In February 2008 the U.S. Air Force chose KC-30, but in September 2008 the Defense Department suspended
5698-563: Was the prime contractor on the radical YF-23 which was one of two candidates for the Advanced Tactical Fighter but would eventually lose to the F-22 Raptor . Northrop later partnered with Lockheed on the F-35 and serves as a principal member of the Lockheed Martin industry led team. In 1998, a merger between Northrop Grumman and competitor Lockheed Martin was considered but abandoned after resistance from
5775-456: Was the prime contractor. After the end of the Cold War , Northrop made a series of acquisitions, buying Grumman Aerospace , Westinghouse and TRW Inc. in addition to a number of other enterprises. In 2018, Northrop Grumman completed the purchase of Orbital ATK , which has since been renamed to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Northrop Grumman is one of the largest defense contractors in
5852-654: Was to be “a persistent, survivable carrier-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and precision strike asset.” In preparing for the FY2014 budget submission, the JROC revisited the UCLASS requirement. On December 19, 2012, the JROC published memoranda 086-12 and 196–12, which significantly altered “the requirements for UCLASS, heavily favoring permissive airspace intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.” The change in requirements appeared to be budget-driven. “The reduction in strike capability of
5929-492: Was worth $ 15 million develop airframe designs. The Navy planned to arm the proposed UCLASS with weapons currently in the carrier air wing's inventory. With the priority of the aircraft on ISR, the airframe would accommodate a fifth-generation AESA radar and multiple intelligence (multi-int) sensors to include electro-optical/infrared sensors and full-motion video cameras to detect and track land and sea targets while armed with Joint Direct Attack Munitions . The Navy hinted at
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